Pros And Cons Of Air and Viscoelastic Foam Mattresses Compared

We've found that most people in the market for a new bed compare air mattress beds with memory foam mattresses. Both work in a unique fashion and have important advantages but neither is spared from drawbacks. Here are the most important disadvantages but, let's look at the benefits first.

You can use our mattress comparison tool to compare 5 types of mattresses side-by-side.

Benefits Comparison

Advantages of Visco Elastic Foam Mattresses

Relieves pressure and enhances deep sleep by reducing pressure points, increasing comfort level and reducing night time movement by as much as 90%.
Conforms precisely to your body, distributes weight, improves circulation and allows your blood to flow more freely.
Has the ability to react to body temperature, softening accordingly.
You don't sink right through a high density memory foam mattress nor do you risk bottoming out.
The foam dampens shock and absorbs motion.
Lifespan of 10-20 years, depending on the manufacturer.

Advantages of Air Mattress Beds

Adjustable firmness and, subsequently, comfort.
Better and more restful sleep due to proper spine alignment and improved pressure relief
Easy to move
Lifespan of more than 10 years, if maintained and cared for properly.

Drawbacks Comparison

Drawbacks of Viscoelastic Mattresses

High quality memory foam mattresses like Tempur-Pedic are quite expensive.
Responds with stiffness when you quickly lie down or throw yourself onto the mattress like you would do when you were a kid.
Can get uncomfortably warm during sleep.
Because of the melting weightlessness feeling it induces, memory foam requires an adjustment period.
May have a strong odor when new.

Drawbacks of Air Mattress Beds

Has many parts which can break down in time (the pump or the firmness control system may malfunction, the glues in the air chamber may dissolve).
The inflating pump may be too noisy (even though you will usually inflate or deflate the bed before you go to sleep, so you won't be bothering anyone).
The remote control may get lost somewhere in the house.
The foam used for rails, foundation or topper is the lower quality type, so the air mattress gets deformed and sags after only a few months.
If the bed deflates during sleep (which is very unlikely, but possible, especially with cheaper mattresses), your head may be trapped between the rails and the headboard, causing injuries, suffocation and even death - more than 40 deaths are considered by the FDA to be caused by deflating air beds in the last 10 years.

Customer Opinions

For someone with allergies this is a fairly hypoallergenic mattress since it doesn't have the usual materials used to fill the inside of conventional mattresses and thus should be less of a breeding ground for common allergens such as dust-mites.
www.epinions.com/content_85044792964

I have had my Tempur-Pedic EuroBed going on 11 months now and I can honestly say that I'm just as happy with this mattress now as I was the first night. Unlike conventional mattresses that I have owned, there is absolutely no sagging or any type of distortion with this mattress after nearly a year of use.
www.epinions.com/content_246646083204

When someone sits on the bed, the other side gets much firmer than it was. Then deflates again as soon as the weight is taken off. There is a hard bar down the middle of the bed that separates the two sides. If you like your bed hard you cannot feel it, but if you have it on a softer setting, be careful that you don't roll over on it.
www.urateit.com/search.asp?Search=mattress

I have Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This bed has allowed me to sleep for the last 4+ years, when others didn't. I also enjoy that I can turn my side of the bed to firmer or softer as my pain needs change, while my husband sleeps on.
www.urateit.com/writtenreviews.asp?id=116

Disclaimer:
MyFoamMattress.net is an independent buyers guide and is not affiliated with any mattress manufacturer or retailer. Different mattress manufacturers and retailers may advertise on this website but we are not affiliated with them in any way, we do not act as agents on their behalf nor are we their employees.

All care has been taken to provide consumers with unbiased information on memory foam mattresses. This may include both the pros and cons of different products and of different brands. All our content is based on extensive research on existing consumer opinions found online on countless forums, discussion groups and review sites spanning back 6 years. Our findings are meant to act exclusively as a concise summary of all these consumer opinions we have read.

This website is Valid XHTML 1.0! | Valid CSS!

My Foam Mattress Has Memory!

A Critical Eye On The Latest Mattress Technologies

Top Memory Foam Complaint

The most commonly reported problem consumers have with memory foam pillows is that they sleep hotter when compared to conventional sleeping surfaces.

But sleeping conditions are influenced by environment temperature, the material's heat sensitivity and your own body heat.

3.5 lb vs 4 lb density

Which to choose from a 3.5lb foam mattress topper 4lb Swedish mattress comparison? Higher density alone does not make a quality sleeping surface. The formula behind the best sleeping surface uses best quality, high-density foam that responds to body temperature.

Known Brands

What is the secret behind Tempur-Pedic mattress technology and why is it in the top 5 most popular brands alongside the likes of Sensus, Isotonic, Bergad and Sealy? The answer is that it uses good quality, high density, heat responsive foam.

How Long Does It Last?

What affects the expected lifetime of memory mattresses and does a Tempur-Pedic mattress last longer? The answer is years and years as long as it's made of better quality, higher-density foam.